Livia J. Washburn

When the poll for our monthly read in the American Western group I’m in came along last month, it seemed a rare occasion when I would have been happy with any of the choices. I finally voted for this one because it seemed the most underrepresented as per reviews, especially on Amazon. Now that I’ve read it, I’m certainly glad I came across it.

This is a Western in the old-fashioned tradition. It even has some pulp elements in the plot, and the quick flow of the story. Whether it was a show more conscious choice or not for author Livia J. Washburn, I felt this was close to a well-written homage to some of the better dime westerns of old, when you’d run across an author whom you’d never heard of, and finally put the book down thinking it had been a surprisingly good read. Bandera Pass is like that.

There is really nothing new under the sun where the Western genre is concerned, which is one of the elements that draws most people to the American Western. The moral integrity and codes of honor, the values so in conflict with modern times, is what attracts readers to the time-honored genre. There’s some of that in Bandera pass, making this a familiar — in the good way — and enjoyable Western read set in Texas in 1874. Most of it takes place in Bandera County, where thirty-three years earlier a famous ambush occurred at Bandera Pass.

The book opens with a nightmare Sheriff Samuel Knight is having, that will eventually tie into the narrative of two Texas Rangers named Hank Littleton and Joe Casebolt. They are chasing down a former member of the now defunct State Police who has turned outlaw. But before they set out after him, the old and seasoned Casebolt, and the young but sharp Hank have a whale of a time bringing in the Kimbrough gang. The action is well written and it’s exciting when Hank and Joe are ambushed at Medina River while trying to bring the gang back for trial. A humorous and eventually poignant element is introduced because Casebolt has a toothache he isn’t exactly in a hurry to have looked at.

The author is obviously familiar with the Texas landscape and does a good job of describing the area as the Rangers head for Bandera County. There they meet up with the aforementioned Sheriff Knight, his wife Faye, and more importantly for Hank, his young and foolish daughter, Victoria. What Sam’s nightmare is about is revealed, and it will play a role by the end of the narrative in a psychological twist the reader won’t see coming.

A lot of work went into making this an easy, breezy read. I was worried for a while as a romance began to bloom between Hank and Victoria, that it would become mired in the typical unassuming cowboy falling for the spirited — i.e., annoying and foolish — but pretty girl. It’s to the author’s credit that she instead used that element of the story to show that there are consequences for foolish and headstrong actions in these days, and sometimes they can be deadly. In this case, they are very sad.

This one has a stagecoach robbery, some exciting posse action, and a twist most won’t see coming. The ending is terrific, making this a good one. Bandera Pass has an old-fashioned, dime-western kind of feel to it. Low-key but breezy, with some good action sequences, Bandera Pass delivers the goods. An enjoyable read for fans of the traditional Westerns of old. show less

Lucas Hallam is an ex-Wild West sheriff, marshal, etc. who is now a private eye and part-time actor/stuntman in silent films. These two stories, set around 1925, have a great early Hollywood background that makes them very enjoyable. The first story, involving gambling ships off the California coast, a woman's disappearance, and rival gangsters is the best. It borrows from Chandler and Hammett without losing its own voice and style. The second story, which includes zombies, is a little too show more silly for my taste, but this short collection still leaves me wanting to read more about Hallam--and especially about the old time Hollywood that Washburn does such a great job depicting. show less

This book is a fast, fun, and light read. Delilah Dickinson is charming and likeable. I have the feeling she would swear like my mother, where all the bad words are replaced by things like ‘fudge ripple’. You can’t help but want things to go right for Delilah. But, of course, things go wrong. And when things start to go wrong it is fun to listen in on all of her theories about who did what and why. I like all the Mark Twain quotes thrown in and how they managed to fit well into the show more story so they didn’t seem forced. But I’m glad that you don’t have to be a Mark Twain enthusiast to enjoy the book. There are several references to the first book in the series so that you learn about Delilah’s business and her last ill fated tour and perhaps it was mentioned more than it needed to be but this is still very much a stand alone story. There are a lot of interesting characters to muddy the waters but they all belong there and they are realistic and believable so that you do start to like some, hate some and feel sorry for others. The mystery is fun too. There are twists to follow and various pieces to fit together and a nice harrowing climax when everything finally falls into place. show less

Phyllis Newsom is in the middle of hosting her annual Christmas cookie exchange when she decides to take a plate of cookies to her shut-in next door neighbor. Her neighbor is so thrilled with the snowflake cut-outs she asks to borrow the cutters. It take Phyllis longer than she thought to get the cutters and when she gets back she finds her neighbor murdered and is herself knocked out from behind. Upon her recovery she begins to ask questions and finds that her neighbors are not all as show more problem free as she had thought. There is more than one secret on her street. An interesting cozy but in order to get our heroine in the right place to further the plot she sometimes does things that are reckless. show less